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She felt her brow knit. “What?”
“Come here.”
Still unhappy with him for believing she’d expose him, she sniffed. “You want something from me, you better come get it.”
Teague closed the space between them, took her hands, and tugged her to her feet. Then he slanted his mouth over hers and kissed her. Hard and deep and long.
She broke the kiss with a nip to his lip. “Don’t think I’ll forgive you in a hurry for thinking the worst of me. Asshole.” She would have slapped his chest if she hadn’t spotted the burns there before he slipped on a tee.
His lips canted up. “I do like it when you’re all huffy with me.”
She rolled her eyes. “I will not be distracted. Tell me why shadowkin were on your territory. I can’t help if I don’t know what’s happening.”
“Help?”
“Yes. Help. You’re clearly dealing with a major situation here. If you think I’m going to overlook that, you’re out of your mind.”
He gave her hands a gentle, reassuring squeeze. “It’s nothing we can’t handle.”
“I’d imagine so. But I still intend to help.” She sighed in annoyance when he looked like he’d argue. “Teague, don’t make me hurt you. I won’t enjoy it—at least not a lot—but I’ll absolutely do it if you don’t start talking.”
Archer chuckled. “I like her,” he told Teague. “My beast wants to bite her, so I get why yours is having that problem.”
“There’ll be no biting,” she asserted.
Archer frowned. “We’d watch over you while you recuperated.”
“That isn’t really a comfort.” She turned back to Teague. “Talk, Black Beauty.”
Keeping possession of her hands, he backed up, pulling her with him. “Come with me. We’ll talk inside.”
Larkin let him guide her toward a slim ladder that led to a burgundy wagon. She ascended the creaky steps and then moved aside so he could join her on the small porch. Once he’d opened the glass-paned front door, he urged her inside.
She felt her lips part as she took in the beautiful, cozy interior. The intricate gold carvings were out of this world. And that china cabinet would look so good in her apartment, though probably not as good as it did here.
Turning toward Teague, she planted her feet and shot him a haughty, expectant look.
His lips twitched. “You really are mad at me.”
“Of course I am. You thought I’d send you to your death.”
“I didn’t mean it as an insult.” He settled his hands on her hips. “You’re an exceedingly loyal person, Larkin. Not to mention very protective of those you care for. And you take your sentinel role hyper-seriously. Can you really blame me for thinking you’d be inclined to report to your Prime that there are hell-born demons hanging around?”
No. But she wasn’t going to say that out loud, because she didn’t want to admit that he had a point—she wasn’t done being angry yet. She folded her arms and said, “I don’t hear you explaining why shadowkin were here.”
He sighed. “Sit.”
She settled on the built-in cushioned seat, finding it surprisingly comfortable.
Opposite her, he leaned against the countertop behind him. “Basically, they were here to kill me.”
Anger whipped to life in Larkin’s stomach. “Just you?” she asked, her demon instantly developing a total hate-on for the dead shadowkin.
“Yes. They were ordered to do so by the demon who’s presently Master of the Wild Hunt.”
She cocked her head. “Why?”
“He has very personal beef with me.” Teague crossed one ankle over the other. “Remember I told you about the half-brother who resents that I exist?”
“He’s siccing them on you?” What a little fucker.
“Yes. By all appearances, Ronin has very simply decided that it’s time I breathed my last.” A muscle in Teague’s jaw jumped. “He keeps sending shadowkin to do his dirty work.”
“Keeps sending?” she echoed, squinting. “So that wasn’t the first time you were attacked by them?”
“No, it was the fourth.”
“Fourth?” Her demon cricked its neck, fairly vibrating with the same fury building within Larkin.
“The first attack came on the night you and I agreed to pretend-date.”
She spat out a bunch of harsh expletives. “I get why you never told me, but it still pisses me off that I didn’t know your life was in danger all these weeks.” She’d known he was keeping things from her, but she hadn’t imagined this. “How do we get your brother to bring his ass up here so he can be dealt with?”
“By killing every minion he sends until he feels he needs to take care of the issue himself. Which is exactly what I’ve been doing. Tonight, my clan helped.”
“You trapped the shadowkin here somehow, didn’t you?”
He nodded, pushing away from the counter. “Black salt works a treat when it comes to them. It forms a shield they can’t cross, no matter what side of it they’re on. It serves to contain them, preventing them from disappearing through a shadow.” He moved to the cushioned bench. “We lured them inside the shield by creating a small opening.”
